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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pushed all their chips to the middle of the table when they acquired Tom Brady before the 2020 season.
Agreeing to sign a 43-year-old quarterback was a bold move from the Bucs.
He was a win-now player and this means that the Bucs had to load up their roster for a Super Bowl run.
They were able to win the Super Bowl in Brady’s first season in Tampa Bay but it came at a long-term cost.
All of the massive contracts the Bucs gave to players like Brady, Ndamukong Suh, and Jason Pierre-Paul to are coming back to bite them.
Now the team is stuck handing out one-year deals to most of the free agents they sign.
The most recent was Ryan Neal.
According to Ian Rapoport, Neal signed a one-year deal and continued the trend the Bucs have set out on this season.
From NFL Now: With the #Bucs officially signing Ryan Neal today, they continued their trend of cost-effective one-year deals… after being the top spenders from 2018-2022 by going all-in for Tom Brady and others. pic.twitter.com/Csi1gTidq9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 6, 2023
As Rapoport mentioned, the Bucs were the top spenders from 2018-22.
But, they realized that is not sustainable.
Tampa Bay is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with some of their one-year deals this offseason.
The most relevant is that of quarterback Baker Mayfield.
He signed a one-year deal and is expected to be the starter next season.
Another way the team can save money is by drafting well.
The rookie wage scale makes rookies very affordable on their first contracts.
That is how some of the best teams in the league remain good.
For instance, the Kansas City Chiefs are one of the best drafting teams in the league.
They reload through the draft each season and that has been critical for them.
The Bucs have found themselves in a bad spot when it comes to the salary cap.
But, that will not stop them from trying to compete in 2023.
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